


i think you are the sweetest thing

by blackpercy



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bakery and Coffee Shop, F/M, and annabeth is percy’s best friend, anyway this is a rivals to lovers story, black percy jackson, but it’s dorky rivals where they keep up a “rivalry” for the joke, coffee shop vs bakery, idiots to lovers, native hawaiian will solace, perachel being dorks, percy says that’s sabotage, rachel frequently steals her from the cafe tho, rachel is BLACK 😎, they’re like 20, whomst will win
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26257399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackpercy/pseuds/blackpercy
Summary: Percy Jackson works as a barista at Half-Blood Café, Rachel works as a cake decorator at the Oracle Bakery.It's not really a "rivalry" more like "joking animosity because our bosses hate each other"Things happen, crap hits the fan, and Percy and Rachel are forced to confront their feelings for each other.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase & Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare/Percy Jackson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26





	1. of flirts and cakes

**Author's Note:**

> heeyyy I know I need to update the Theatre Kid AU BUT I COULDN’T PASS UP THIS OPPORTUNITY

**R** achel stepped back to look at her latest creation.

The cake was around four feet tall, and it was covered in light blue fondant. Rachel had sculpted little scales into the fondant, then she’d lightly spray painted them to have a green and gold sheen. At the top of the two tier cake, Rachel had sculpted a mermaid with brown, curly hair and a blue tail.

It was for a child’s birthday party, so it wasn’t her flashiest design, but that was what the father had requested so that was what she delivered.

She had thirty minutes till that cake had to be delivered, so she took a little bit of time to rest in the bakery.

The Oracle Bakery had a friendly vibe around it. The chairs were golden backed with comfortable seating. The walls were cream colored, the accent wall having pastel vertical stripes that went pink-blue-yellow.

The bakery window had their gold logo stamped on, the cursive Oracle Bakery standing out next to the white, arched door that opened with a jingle.

The long white counter that held the cash register, a coupon stand, mints, and a pencil holder was what Rachel was leaning on now.

The light streamed through the windows, hitting Rachel’s face with comforting warmth. Her copper red, coily hair was held back by a black bandanna and she was wearing a blue tank top due to the heat wave that had taken over the city.

Rachel checked her watch. Twenty minutes till this cake had to be delivered, she better step on it.

One of the appeals of The Oracle Bakery was that delivery was an option. It was kind of a con when you were the one who had to drive to the location, but the pay made up for it.

The Blofis family lived in Manhattan, which was lucky for Rachel because that was where the bakery was. It was a short drive, and Rachel found herself pulling up to a townhouse in the Upper East Side.

The app should tell the customer that she was here, so she pressed the “route complete” button on her phone and got out if the car.

After struggling with the trunk for a couple seconds, Rachel carefully took the cake in her arms, setting the bill to sign and a pen on top of it. The cake box effectively blocked her face if she held it at arm length, so she had to rely on uncomfortably lowering her arms in order to see.

She managed to get up the steps before the door opened. The box was still blocking her face, but she heard a man speak.

He sounded younger than the dude she’d talked to on the phone, probably his son.

“Thank you,” he’d said, the (hopefully) customary response to someone delivering your cake.

The shouts of children could be heard from inside, and Rachel could imagine the guy in front of her cringing (even though she couldn’t see him)

Rachel nodded, “It’s no problem, just sign that paper and we’re good to go.”

Please let him be a good tipper.

He signed on top of the box quickly then moved to take it from her. Rachel chuckled gratefully as she handed it over then shook out her arms comically.

”Thank you so much for taking that-“

She looked up, and her smile dropped in surprise.

The guy was tall with dark brown skin with a black snapback sitting on curly black hair. His dark eyebrows were raised in amusement, and his green eyes had mischief written all over them.

”Hey, Red,” Percy Jackson said, a smirk growing on his face.

Rachel crossed her arms, meeting his amusement with nonchalance. Percy worked at the Half Blood Café, which was located across from the bakery and happened to be Oracle’s rival.

She and Percy were friends, but they liked to keep up the rivalry for the joke.

And, yeah, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t harbor a _tiny_ crush on the guy. He was funny, cute, and kind of a dork.

But, a flirtationship would have to do.

”Yes, Jackson?”

Percy rolled his eyes with a smile as he turned on his heel to drop the cake off in the house. She was Red, he was Jackson. Rachel wished she’d come up with a better nickname, but she’d only known his last name when they’d met and he’d only seen her hair color.

”You coming in?” 

Rachel shook her head, “Nah, I still got to finish my shift.”

Percy shrugged, “That’s too bad, Red.” He turned to go before he stopped and pulled out his wallet.

”Forgot to tip,” he said sheepishly.

Rachel stuck her tongue at him, “How dare you.”

He rolled his eyes with a laugh, “It was an _accident_. I promise, I’m a good person.”

“Debatable.”

”Can it.”

Rachel laughed as she accepted the bill. A little girl with her hair in poofs and black cat-eye glasses ran up to Percy excitedly.

“Percy, is that my cake?”

Percy laughed and nodded, smiling and waving goodbye to Rachel as he walked into the house with her.

”Yeah, guppy, that’s your cake...”

Their voices trailed off, the door shut, and Rachel turned to go. 

The heat seemed to beat down on her in the late afternoon, so the first thing Rachel did was turn the AC all the way up in the car for five minutes before putting it on low.

Rachel got to the bakery, where Will, Apollo’s son and her best friend, was waiting for her.

”I saw the pics of the cake,” Will said as he munched a croissant.

Rachel tousled his light brown hair, “You did? Nice. Also, don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Alright, _mother_ ,” Will stuck his tongue oit at her, and Rachel happily obliged.

”It was a frankly easy cake, to be honest,”  
  


Will nodded, urging Rachel to keep talking. There were never very many customers on a Tuesday, so they continued their conversation undisturbed, drifting between topics as best friends do.

Soon, the sun set on the Oracle Bakery and Rachel was left to close shop.

She looked out the window at the hanging sign of the Half Blood Café, wondering what might happen tomorrow in the Oracle Bakery.


	2. of memories and whipped cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the work dynamic at The Half Blood Café. Also, Percy reminiscing about how he met Rachel

**P** ercy liked to think of himself as the Best Barista _Ever._

He knew every regular's name, their order, and he could tell when they wanted to switch it up a little and in what exact way. If someone was new, he could accurately guess their order or get _pretty freaking close_. 

He knew he had a way with people. He hadn't always but going through the motions of high school kind of forced him to put his introverted observance to good use, and eventually, he developed this...sixth sense with people.

It was pretty easy to Percy, considering the atmosphere of The Half-Blood Cafe. It had a cozy vibe around it, with the wide, tan lanterns hanging overhead, light brown wood walls, spacious design, and various comfortable seating arrangements near the walls and windows. 

Hestia, the co-owner of the cafe along with Chiron, had hired a street artist to throw up some art on the big black accent wall. It was a painting of a woman, she was painted in shades of red, orange, and yellow, her afro made of flowers, and her eyes closed and her lips apart in laughter.

Percy loved that wall.

The Half-Blood Café was almost a home away from home. Percy actually _liked_ coming to work 4 days a week. 

His fellow baristas made it even better.

Thalia was twenty-two even though she seemed like she was forty. She had been at the Half Blood Café the longest out of all of them. She’d grown up here, which made sense considering Chiron was a close family friend of hers.

(Chiron was also Annabeth’s foster father, and Thalia had known Annabeth even longer than Percy had, and he’s known Annabeth since they were twelve)

Thalia was tall with black dyed hair, electric blue eyes, and a resting biatch face. She gave off an intimidating aura until you got to know her and realized she was just the unfortunate combination of tired and nerdy.

Grover had been Percy’s best friend since he was like...ten. He was taller and older than Percy, and he was working on getting his masters for Environmental Studies.

Silena was short, optimistic, energetic, and kind of scary when you pissed her off. She wore a pink hijab and always had amazing eye makeup. She was twenty two and attending beauty school.

The last barista that worked during Percy’s shift was Nico. He was the youngest, and although he had just turned twenty (which wasn’t that far from the rest of them), everybody teased him for it. He had dark, curly hair and bags under his eyes. 

Silena was usually mothering him about getting enough sleep or considering a haircut, while the rest of the group teased him for his crush on Will Solace.

The friendly atmosphere generated by the baristas and Hestia drew a lot of people into the café. The smell of coffee also did that, but that was a less romantic explanation.

Percy liked to talk to customers, learn their names and their interests. If they were uni students, he’d make conversation about their major or common struggles.

Of course, there were the customers who only wanted to get their coffee and go, and Percy didn’t blame them, but the charm of the Half-Blood Café was in the _people,_ for crying out loud!

His best icebreaker was his track record of reading the caffeinated mind. He knew what you wanted, he knew how to make it, and you’d barely have to say it.

Sure, it was just a part-time job, but there was no reason why he couldn't try and make it a little bit enjoyable.

If there was that one customer who ordered something so complicated it sounded like it came off a mom blog (probably because it did), hand them over to Percy because he’s probably made it at one point.

He could predict your order from your mood, _or_ he could convince you to try something new. That was his thing, intuition.

There was only one person whose order Percy _hadn’t_ been able to guess, and that was Miss Rachel Dare.

He still remembered every detail from the day they had met. Rachel had walked into the café, her curly red hair tied up into an updo with a colorful scarf. (Her hair was actually shorter now, up to her mid neck because a year ago she’d cut it.) She had been wearing baggy, paint stained, overalls and a black t shirt. Her medium brown skin had a couple flour stains, too.

Rachel had helped Annabeth pick up her books, then she’d said something that had made Annabeth _actually_ grin (everybody knew that Annabeth was hard to impress) and she’d sat down and chatted with her for twenty minutes before getting up and ordering something.

Percy had raised an eyebrow at her and commented on how easily she had befriended Annabeth, Rachel had grinned (and Percy had tried not to focus on her adorable dimples) and said something about her charm.

Then the real surprise came.

“Alright, I do this with everybody,” Percy had said confidently and clasped his hands in front of his face. “But you look like a… hot strawberry latte macchiato kinda girl.”

Rachel had raised an eyebrow at him, her lips quirked in a smile.

“Did you only say that cause of my hair?”

Percy’s face had grown hot. He almost chuckled at the memory now.

“ _No_ ,” he had said pointedly. Rachel had cocked her head.

“You finally got stumped-“ she glanced at his high school swim hoodie, where the name was peaking through the apron. “-Jackson.”

Percy had leaned forward with a cocky grin, not about to let this complete stranger beat him at his own game. He didn’t even care that she got his name wrong.

“Don’t you believe in second chances, Red?”

So she’d let him try again and again and Percy _still_ never got it right.

She had finally told him her order, Percy being completely humiliated. She had just winked as she tipped him and said she might change it up next time she came around then she’d waved at Annabeth and left.

Grover had clapped a stunned to silence Percy on the back and told him he’d “met his match” (whatever _that_ meant)

It took a month before Percy realized that Rachel was screwing with him when she had said (or _insinuated_ ) she’d come again because she worked at the _Oracle Bakery._

The Oracle was the café’s biggest competitor, which was weird considering one was a bakery and the other wad a café.

Each business also dabbled in the others’ which was...not good if you wanted to terminate a rivalry.

He’d casually confronted her about it, she had teased him (saying “I had to check out the competition”), and thus began their two year long flirtationship.

And maybe Percy did have a little crush on her. Rachel was creative, funny, and drop dead gorgeous.

(Okay, she can’t ever know that Percy thought that, he would _literally_ rather die)

Now, in the present, Percy was on his break watching Rachel outside the Oracle Bakery right across from the café.

Maybe it was a little bit creepy watching her like this, but the sun was hitting her face _just right_ so her brown skin glowed in the light. Her red curly hair was in a ponytail and she was smiling and nudging Will Solace. 

She was really pretty.

Percy turned his head before she could notice him staring and sipped his iced coffee.

Seeing her reminded him of Estelle’s birthday party a couple days ago. She’d seemed surprised to see him there, which reminded him that he hadn’t told her that Paul was his stepdad.

There wasn’t any actual animosity towards them, but there was definitely animosity between Chiron and Apollo, the respective owners of the Half-Blood Café and the Oracle Bakery.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see Rachel wave at him. She did it right in front of Will and her coworker Piper, as Rachel had never cared for what others thought in terms of friendship. Percy smiled and waved back. 

Silena called out to him from behind the counter, where she was frantically trying to empty out the last of the whipped cream, “Percy! I know you’re on your break, and I’m honestly super sorry to ask but…can you help me reach the whipped cream in the supply closet? I’m in the middle of making a drink right now.”

Percy got up, ready to make a comment about her height before Silena glared at him to shut up. He shrugged as he entered the supply closet, a devilish grin on his lips. 

She flipped him off.

Percy laughed as he got the whipped cream. Soon, Percy’s break ended and he had to put the apron back on. Before he could blink, his shift was over and Nico was closing up.

Percy ruffled Nico’s hair as he tossed his apron into the washer. “You have a good day, gremlin boy?” Nico rolled his eyes and flipped him the bird.

“One day I’m gonna commit a _homicide_ ,” Nico said with a fake cheery smile, his tone and expression not at all matching his words.

Percy flipped him off back with a grin, “Sounds like something a gremlin would say,” he teased.

Nico grumbled Italian curses at him underneath his breath, some of which Percy recognized due to spending a lot of time with Nico.

Percy walked out the door, shouting something snarky at Nico before he got in his car and drove to his apartment.

Percy usually drove back home with a smile. That was what working at the Half-Blood Café did to you. The joy and the friendship that the café seemed to shine of was infectious.

It had been an ordinary day, but it had been a good one just the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls leave a comment telling me what you liked and what you’d like to see! thanks for reading! 😁☺️🥰


	3. of sculptures and rule breakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel hangs out in the Half Blood Café and Perachel being cuties

**R** achel was about to do something very risky.

Okay, she was being dramatic.

Rachel was about to do something that might break bakery norms.

She knew that Annabeth was inside the Half Blood Café, and she _really_ wanted to show her the seven foot tall sugar statue of the Athena Parthenos she had spent _literally_ forty six hours on.

The issue was that Apollo was a _huge_ drama queen, and he actually took the rivalry between the two businesses seriously to the point where, when he expanded the bakery, he added a coffee bar.

...Yeah, it was that bad.

Rachel was sleep deprived, desperate for validation that came from outside the bakery, and in serious need of caffeine. She hated to admit it, but only the Half-Blood Café could deliver the monstrosity she was going to order.

This (frankly flawed) reasoning led Rachel to shout to Frank that she was taking her break, walk out of the kitchen, just to run into Apollo.

Apollo was a tall man with Native Hawaiian heritage. He had a bright smile and brown freckles all over his golden brown skin that his son, Will, inherited from him.

He had just finished tending to another customer, and Rachel took the opportunity to walk past him.

“You taking your break so late, Rachel?” he asked pleasantly. “Your shift’s nearly over.” 

Apollo was pretty chill boss-wise, he didn’t see a reason to be uptight when he ran one of the most successful bakeries in New York. He knew his employees wanted it to succeed just as much as he did.

Rachel nodded, “Just getting some coffee,”

Apollo frowned a little bit, “We have a coffee stand here.”

Rachel was a bit surprised he hadn’t connected the dots to where she was going.

“I’m not great at making coffee,” she shrugged. “Just going to this place near here. I’ll be back to check on the sugar sculpture after my break, though.”

Apollo shrugged back, “As long as you don’t go to—“

Rachel grinned as she opened the door to the bakery. The bell gave that pleasant jingle with the movement of the door.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, _don’t go to the Half-Blood Café,”_

* * *

Naturally, that was exactly what she did.

She walked in and the smell of coffee beans and chocolate hit her. She spied the pastries on the right of the wrap around bar-style counter and rolled her eyes.

Apollo stole coffee from the Half-Blood Cafe so Chiron stole pastries from the Oracle Bakery.

It was petty, but it was fair.

The café was busy today, a long line of customers wanting the exact same thing she did.

As she made her way to the queue, Rachel took her time speaking to regulars she recognized. She loved meeting new people, and it allowed her to stall just in case _someone_ was the barista.

(Not that she was thinking of a certain green eyed fellow, because she definitely _wasn’t_ )

Rachel saw Annabeth scrolling through her phone and sipping a warm drink on a window seat behind her. Rachel texted her “look up” and beamed when Annabeth checked the text and waved at her.

“Sit next to me when you get your order,” Annabeth called out to her. Rachel nodded and brushed a curl out of her eyes, fatigue made the cushiony window seat look very appealing right now.

After three minutes, it was Rachel’s turn and, lucky for her, Percy was the barista.

Percy raised an eyebrow with one of his mischievous smiles. Rachel noted that he was wearing another snapback, this time in a navy blue color. The part of her brain that she ignored pointed out that it complimented his eyes nicely.

“Why are you giving money to ‘the competition’?”

Rachel snorted, “Gotta taste test your, frankly mediocre drinks-“ she paused to smile gracefully as he flipped her off “-so we know how to beat you, of course. Now, Jackie boy, can I get a..”

Rachel rattled off a simple yet terrifying order that included nine shots of espresso and _way_ too much whipped cream.

Percy glanced at his notepad then glanced at Rachel then glanced at the pad again. He was silent for a couple seconds, seemingly processing.

“Red, when was the last time you slept?”

Rachel shrugged, “A couple days ago, I’ve been working on a project for a function at the muse-“

“Rachel, I’m not giving this to you.”

Rachel frowned at the taller man. He was dead serious.

“Why? I just need to get through the day.”

Percy shook his head, “Red, you don’t need caffeine, you need sleep. When does your shift at the bakery end?”

Rachel shrugged, “Technically, it already ended considering I took my break near the end of my shift. I’ll go back after to check on the sugar sculpture, though.”

Percy raised an eyebrow, “Then you’ll go home and sleep?”

Rachel crossed her arms, “No, I’ll go home to get ready for an art class I go to on Fridays.”

Percy nodded to the other person behind Rachel. Rachel sidestepped out of the way, determined to get her coffee but not rude enough to hold up the line.

Percy took that person’s order and began making the drink, nodding for Rachel to start talking again.

“First of all,” Rachel rolled her eyes, “ _Rude_ . Second of all, _rude_.”

Percy shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Sorry but you were holding up the line to order your abomination of a drink.”

Rachel scoffed, “Well, can I get that abomination, _sir_?”

Percy finished making the drink, handing it to the person and thanking them for the tip.

There was nobody in his queue so he leaned forward on the counter, staring at her defiantly. Rachel could make out the exact shade of green his eyes were. If she could put that color in a bottle and paint it on a canvas, she would. 

“Go home. Skip the class. Sleep. You can have your monstrosity tomorrow but with one shot of espresso.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, “It’s not as fun then.”

Percy smirked, “Guess you won’t be ordering it.”

Both Percy and Rachel knew that he won this one, but she wasn’t letting go yet.

“Isn’t it your job as a barista to give me what I want?” She pouted. “Why do you even care?”

“Cause it’s you.”

The words came out of his mouth with ease. He said it like it was a statement of fact and not something that had just made Rachel mentally choke on air.

She was probably reading _way_ too much into the situation. They were just friends, only friends, who happened to flirt playfully because they were good friends and that’s what friends did.

Friends. That’s it.

Percy didn’t have any hidden meanings behind that, he was just saying he cared about her. That’s what friends did, they cared about each other. Platonically.

Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. Whatever witty retort was on her lips died when Percy had said that.

“Okay,” she forced out awkwardly with an even worse head nod. 

Percy had a look of amusement on his face. 

“Okay?” He questioned. “That’s it?”

He tilted his head to the side then, kind of like a confused puppy in those animated movies.

“You’re not gonna fight me? Not gonna offer me a thirty dollar tip, which you should _definitely_ do by the way, as some sort of bribe?”

Rachel shook her head, “Nope. I’m too tired. I’m gonna just...talk to Annabeth now…” 

Percy nodded and Rachel reached over the counter to give him a hug like she usually did when she saw him, letting herself enjoy the steady squeeze of his arms around her, before turning on her heel to approach Annabeth.

Annabeth had a raised eyebrow. 

“You saw that, didn’t you?” Rachel sighed as she settled next to her on the window seat.

Annabeth nodded, “I’m not gonna say anything, though.”

Rachel nudged her shoulder, “Can’t you tell me what it means? You’re his best friend, you’ve known each other since you were twelve, so you can tell me what it…” Rachel paused to look for the right word. “... _means_ right?”

Annabeth shook her head, “That’s between you and Seaweed Brain. As his best friend and your friend, I’m just here to berate you about it.”

Rachel stuck her tongue at the blonde woman and Annabeth smiled and lightly kicked her ankle with her foot.

Rachel sat with Annabeth, eventually adjusting her position so her back was to the wall opposite the one Annabeth was leaning on and pulling out her iPad and sketching a design for a cake. 

As much as she was loyal to the Oracle Bakery, there was a vibe that the Half-Blood Cafe had that helped you chill out. Maybe it was because the cafe _wasn’t_ her place of work, so it was easier to relax.

She vaguely noted that Apollo could see her from here if he looked out the bakery window, and she didn’t feel like losing her job so she tapped Annabeth’s knee, telling her to get up.

“Annabeth, wanna check out a piece we’ve been working on in the bakery?”

Annabeth didn’t look up from her phone, “What’s it about?”

“It’s a sugar statue of the Athena Parthenos. There’s an event focusing on Ancient Greek culture tomorrow so they hired us to create a cake for it. The cake is…”

Rachel started to ramble about the project. They had spent the last four days preparing for this. Annabeth’s interest was caught once she explained the the details.

“Take me there _now_.”

Rachel grinned and hopped up from her spot, stretching her back.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Red!”

Rachel turned around to see Percy behind her. He was crossing his arms with a jokingly serious expression.

“Red, are you stealing my best friend?” 

Rachel opened her mouth to answer but Annabeth beat her to the punch.

“She didn’t steal me, I’m leaving,” she deadpanned.

Rachel snickered and Percy shot a glare at her, she flipped him off in response.

“You heard the woman,” Rachel teased. Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

“I could totally snitch on you to Apollo.”

“Buuut,” Rachel tapped her chin in fake wondering, “you won’t.”

Percy glared at her and Rachel grinned and leaned forward to kiss his cheek before dragging Annabeth out of the café.

Rachel’s cheeks burned as soon she stepped out of the Half Blood Café. Annabeth thankfully didn’t comment as they walked across the street to the Oracle Bakery.

She wished she hadn’t done that, it wasn’t the first time she’d kissed his cheek but…

Rachel shook her head, clearing her thoughts before opening the white door to the bakery and letting Annabeth in.

She needed a distraction, and thank goodness she was away from that café. Her head was all messed up with whatever was happening to it and she didn't need that in addition to all her problems.

As Annabeth examined the massive statue she nodded her approval and pointed out some areas of improvement. Rachel was used to that by now, and if Annabeth gave criticism it meant she cared.

“Will you be attending the event tomorrow?” Annabeth asked. The blonde was standing on a stepstool looking at the crown on the statue’s head.

Rachel shook her head, “I don’t really want to so…” she laughed awkwardly, “I won’t.”

Apollo popped in and carried conversation for a little until he and Will left. Annabeth had left after twenty minutes, ever on the go. The Oracle Bakery slowly emptied out until it was up to Rachel to close up.

Rachel went through the customary routine that was closing shop, and before she opened and locked the door, her phone buzzed.

She checked the caller ID and saw Percy’s contact name. It was Jackson with yellow hearts on either side of the name. She picked up.

“Hey, Red, look up,” 

Apparently Percy was locking up too, cause Rachel looked up to see Percy’s tall form waving at her from the Half-Blood Café’s window. She couldn’t hide her smile as she waved back.

She locked the door and stood outside, beckoning him over.

“Can I walk you home?” He asked her. Rachel hesitated before answering. 

“Are you sure it’s not any trouble?” Rachel didn’t want him to inconvenience himself for her.

Percy shook his head, “Of course it’s not, Red-“ he smiled at her again “-plus, I want to.”

 _And Percy Jackson throws a wrench into her emotions again,_ her internal monologue announced. 

Rachel forced herself to stop internally freaking out over Percy and, instead, focused on the scenery.

Dusk fell over Manhattan, warm colors spreading over the sky like a haze. She turned around to see the Oracle Bakery behind her. The sky seemed to paint the bakery in shades pink due to the bakery’s cream and gold themes.

Rachel stared at the sky. New York was built up, and the imagery of the sky against the tall buildings was still pretty no matter how many times she saw it.

It was a bit poetic.

Rachel felt Percy’s eyes on her. She turned her eyes away from the sky to catch him looking at her with a small smile before he averted his gaze.

“Why are you looking at me?”

They locked eyes for a split second before Percy’s face changed and he put on a dopey grin and a dramatically lovesick expression.

“Cause you’re the most _beautiful_ girl I’ve ever laid eyes on in my _life_.”

Rachel took one look at his face and burst into laughter. Her loud boisterous laugh made some people walking past her look at her weirdly but she didn’t care. Percy started to laugh with her, more because of her reaction.

“Red, it wasn’t even that funny!”

Rachel calmed down bumped his shoulder, “Your face looked stupid.”

“Well, that’s not fair cause I’m a knockout,” Percy didn’t miss a beat with his response. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him and snatched the snapback off his head.

“Hey!”

Rachel put her fist under her chin and gave an exaggerated grin.

“How do I look, knockout?”

Percy made the so-so gesture with his hand and plastered an unimpressed expression on his face. Rachel gasped and flicked his shoulder softly.

“ _Rude_ ”

Percy laughed, and Rachel noted that he didn’t try and take the hat back. The conversation faded to pleasant silence as they walked to Rachel's apartment.

That’s something Rachel liked when she was with Percy. She didn’t feel the need to talk. They could just sit there in silence, appreciating whatever was around them.

They got to her apartment building and Rachel turned to face him in front of the doors.

Rachel was spectacular with words. She could deliver impassioned speeches or she could uplift her friends with just the right phrase or tone.

But looking at Percy, she didn’t know what to say.

She could see that he was smiling _really_ small, and his green eyes were looking at hers.

She didn’t know how to communicate that even if he’d only walked her home, the fact that he’d thought of her made her feel like she’d fly away from the joy.

Rachel didn’t think a simple ‘thank you’ would suffice because, even if it was just a walk, it meant more to her.

She tipped her hat, “You want this back?”

Percy shook his head, “Nah, it looks better on you anyway.”

Rachel blinked, processing that, before responding.

“Thanks, Jackson,” she said softly.

Percy nodded and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug. He smelled like coffee and soap. 

“Promise me you’ll go to bed early, Red,” he mumbled.

Rachel nodded. Percy’s hugs were overwhelming in the sense that you wanted to curl up and doze for hours. She let herself get lost in the embrace for a couple moments before pulling away; smiling at him one more time.

As she turned to go, Rachel winked at him and turned the hat so the bill was at the back of her curls.

“Also, you’re right,” she called out. “It _does_ look better on me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i loved writing this chapter! please leave a comment and a kudos, i love reading comments so much 😭 thanks for reading!


	4. of meringues and mess ups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write Jackson siblings content

**P** ercy tried to spend as much time with Estelle as he could.

Lots of people would consider babysitting a chore, especially when it concerned a sibling, but Percy didn’t think so. 

Sally had been uneasy, she knew that Percy was busy but Percy had reassured her that he _wanted_ to. It was just basic big brother duty. Which was why he was getting ready on Friday.

He was at his parent’s house with Estelle, ready to watch her for the day so his parents could have a day off. He had prepped the ingredients for a cake Estelle wanted to make (because Estelle had recently gotten _really_ into baking videos for a child her age and Percy didn’t know how to say no to her), he had queued all the movies Estelle loved to watch, and he’d recently gone grocery shopping.

Sally leaned on the kitchen wall. She had gotten ready for a day out with Paul, so she was wearing a blue and white blouse and blue jeans.

”Percy, we can always take Estelle with us.” Sally started but Percy quickly shook his head.

”I do this all the time, Ma. Plus, I love hanging out with Estelle.”

Sally’s lips drew into a tight line. Percy knew his mom was just like him in the sense where she had trouble asking for help. He kissed her cheek with a grin.

”We’ll be fine,” he shrugged. “And what could go wrong?”

* * *

“Percy, I think we need help.”

Estelle’s blunt manner of speaking pierced Percy concentration as he tried to create hot sugar syrup (and failed).

The baking had started out well, but then the siblings discovered they had left out a huge detail.

The meringue.

Percy was freaking out and trying to figure out how to make whatever the heck “Italian Meringue Buttercream” was while his five year old little sister sat on the counter with her hands folded matter-of-factly.

“Estelle, you don’t need to worry, everything’s gonna turn out _fine.”_ Percy raised an eyebrow at his little sister and her prim sitting position.

”Plus, didn’t I tell you to stop sitting on the counter?” He raised an eyebrow at the girl, to which Estelle smiled sweetly.

”No, I don’t think I remember that.”

Percy scoffed as he added in butter to the mixture, “ _Of course.”_

Part of Percy wanted to know where she learned that sass, while the other part knew exactly where (or who) she learned it from.

“You should call your baker friend. She’s pretty.”

Percy glanced at Estelle. She was more observant than he thought. She must have been spying in when he FaceTimed Rachel a couple days ago.

“Yeah, she is pretty,” he conceded. “Now, are you gonna believe in your big bro or are you gonna keep doubting me?” Percy slyly changed the topic, ruffling Estelle’s undone curly hair.

Estelle grinned with a shrug, “I guess I believe you.”

She hopped off the counter (which Percy told her not to do) and went to watch Finding Dory on the TV, leaving Percy to the mess that was his kitchen.

“Okay…” he muttered. “How do I do this..”

If anybody could figure out a complicated recipe, it was him. Plus, his little sister’s happiness was on the line, and he was going to get this right or die trying.

(He wasn’t being dramatic, actually, Percy was terrified)

* * *

He ended up calling Rachel.

Rachel hadn’t laughed or made fun of him (which Percy was very grateful for), she’d just calmly explained what he might have done wrong.

“Don’t stress about it either,” she said kindly. “Meringue is so freaking hard to make. I remember the first time I made meringue, I had gotten the wrong recipe _and_ it came out looking like styrofoam. It was a whole mess.”

Percy laughed, “Wish me luck that it doesn’t come out looking like styrofoam, then.”

Percy could imagine Rachel grinning on the other line, “You’ll do fine, Percy. I gotta go now but good luck!”

Rachel cut the call, leaving Percy on the other end, staring at the collection of freshly washed baking utensils.

“Alright,” he sighed and glanced at Estelle in the living room. She was stubbornly trying to put her hair in pigtails while watching an animated Youtube Video.

“You can do this, Percy…”

It had taken two hours but, following Rachel’s instructions to a T, and with help from Estelle, Percy managed to make meringue.

He stared at the creamy creation inside the bowl, Estelle standing on her tiptoes to get a look.

“Percy, you did it!” she squealed and poked Percy in the ribs, her wide smile threatening to take over her face.

Percy smiled and ruffled her hair, “Yeah, Stella, I did.”

Estelle flashed a wicked smile as she reached over and stole a glob from the bowl.

“Hey!”

Estelle quickly ran out of the kitchen, giggling with glee all the while as her older brother chased her around the living room.

“ _You’ll never get away with this!_ ” Percy shouted in a funny voice. He picked her up and started to tickle her.

“I’m _sorry_ ,” Estelle tried to talk in between giggles. Her glasses were cast askew on her face. 

“ _It’s not enough!_ ” Percy cackled in the same nasal tone, which only made Estelle laugh more.

She kicked him in the stomach and, with Percy exaggerating serious injury on the floor, stepped on his chest.

“That’ll teach yah to mess with me!” She threatened in her tinny voice. She put on what she thought was a tough face, straightening her glasses with one hand and wagging her tiny finger in Percy’s face with the other.

Percy feigned fear, “Mercy, oh, brave soldier!”

Estelle sniffed at him like he was a worm, her big brown eyes narrowing, “ _Off with your head_ ,”

Percy’s eyebrows furrowed as Estelle immediately body slammed him.

Maybe Percy needed to start reviewing what Estelle was reading nowadays...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment and/or a kudos abt what u liked


	5. of lies and truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel tells her parents something she's been hiding from them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for one sentence of implied fatphobia. it's just Rachel's mom making a comment about gaining weight. I wrote that because her mom is like...a bad person. To my fat readers, you are beautiful and I will fight anybody who ever told you otherwise :)

Rachel had almost forgotten.

Part of her couldn’t believe it considering it was always the worst yet most memorable part of her year.

Brunch with her parents.

_ “ _ What type of prim and proper stuck up actually does brunch, anyway?” Rachel muttered bitterly as she got ready. The Dares were a very rich and affluential family, Mr Dare owning a huge company.

Rachel hated it. She hated being their daughter, she hated what they did, she hated the isolation that came with it.

Plus, she was ninety percent sure her father didn’t pay taxes.

Rachel pulled out a pair of jeans and a graphic t-shirt, deeming it appropriate for what she was about to do, she then went to get ready.

She didn’t wear makeup in her everyday routine, only eyeliner most of the time, and on brunch days she made an extra effort. But today, Rachel was going makeup-free.

She also wasn’t bothering to wear heels or the casual dressy style she put on when she went over for brunch. She wasn’t bothering because today she would tell them. Today, Rachel was dropping the four-year-long lie she had been telling her parents.

Rachel cringed at the reminder of the situation. She hated lying, she really did, but she knew that her parents would probably disown her if they knew she was at culinary school. 

They had forced her to attend finishing school at sixteen, then they had pushed their plans, plans for a child that wasn’t her, on her. They had made it clear that Rachel was to attend a finishing school, then she was going to major in business, then she’d take over Dare Industries.

Even if she was the sole heir to the company, Rachel had never wanted any of that. So once she got out of finishing school, she lied. She lied through her teeth. While they thought she was studying for business classes, she was attending one of the best culinary schools in New York and studying to become a cake decorator.

It should have been harder, Rachel  _ wished _ it was harder, but she knew that they had never cared about her. Her parents cared about their reputation and their business, so as long as Rachel did what they wanted her to, she wasn’t their concern.

They never asked questions about classes, they never wanted to know whatever was happening. They just wanted confirmation that she was studying business, then they left it at that.

That made it surprisingly easy for Rachel to fabricate an entire lifestyle. All the times she was late to brunch because of a bakery thing, she just blamed it on the internship. 

If they wanted to know what she knew, she skimmed a Quizlet the night before brunch so she knew what she needed to know and would apologize for muddy details with a “stayed up late at the internship”

And it worked every single time.

All her life, Rachel had just struck it out on her own. She would leave the estate whenever she wanted to, she’d go out at night and wonder. It was stupid, but part of her had wanted something bad to happen because at least her parents would look at her.

When she had told them she wanted to be a baker at seventeen, they had laughed at her. Then she told them she was serious and her father had spent an hour shouting and telling her she wouldn’t drag their reputation through the mud for a silly dream.

So, at twenty, Rachel still kept up the lie. It might give her parents peace of mind, but it bothered her to no end. They thought she was doing what they wanted but she still couldn’t be good enough.

Now she was going to tell them. Today. During brunch. This weekend.

_ Oh, no _ .

Rachel checked the time. It was ten-thirty in the morning and brunch was eleven-thirty, so Rachel got in her car before she could change her mind and drove the hour-long journey to her parents’ mansion.

She rehearsed what she’d say to them as she drove to the mansion. Once she had their attention, she would just say it. Rachel’s palms grew sweaty just at the thought of it. She knew that they would hate her, but she couldn’t keep lying.

She pulled up to the large manor. Rachel took a deep breath and waved to the gatekeeper. The man nodded when he saw her, opening the gate for her, and Rachel drove up the winding road.

The manor was intimidatingly large, and the exterior was light grey with a darker roof. White columns matched the white window panes, and white marble statues and fountains the same boring color on the huge lawn. 

Overall it was a terribly pretentious house.

Rachel parked her car in front of the house, spying her mother waiting for her on the big steps that acted as a porch.

Rachel waved to her and got out of the car.   
  
“Hey, Mom.” She called out. Mrs. Dare was a tall, dark-skinned, elegant woman. She was wearing a casual (yet obviously expensive), navy blue dress with a necklace loaded with jewels sitting on her collarbone. She looked her daughter up and down.

“Rachel Elizabeth, are you gaining weight?”

Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smiled sweetly. “I don’t think it concerns you if I have, Mother.”

Mrs. Dare didn’t bat an eyelash, and she turned on her heel, gesturing for Rachel to follow.

“I see you still have a mouth on you.”

“Yeah, thanks, I was born with it,” Rachel murmured. Thank goodness her mother didn’t hear that.

Rachel’s heart seemed to be trying to beat out of her chest as she walked the marble floors of her childhood home.

The mansion held bad memories, and if today went the way she expected it would, she would never have to see it again.

Mrs. Dare stopped at the grand spiral staircase and nodded to a butler.

“Tell my husband that Rachel Elizabeth has arrived,” she said primly. The butler nodded and left to find Mr. Dare. Rachel waved at him.

“Hey, Daniel, how’s it going?”

Daniel looked at her and smiled small before turning to leave. Rachel had been working in a high-end bakery for two and a half years, she knew how it felt to have people think they’re better than you.

Her mother didn’t comment until they got to the patio, where a lavish breakfast was set. Rachel looked at every item on the tray, the crepes, the cardamom buns, the fritters, and a part of her dejectedly pointed out she could have made this at home.

Her mother sat down on a comfortable outdoor chair, crossing her legs. She raised an eyebrow, “Has college made you forget everything you learned from finishing school?”

Rachel discreetly clenched her fist as she sat down opposite her mother. “No, Mom.”

“You were talking to the help.”

It took all of Rachel’s strength to remain silent. She just picked up a mug of coffee and sipped it. They fell silent, there wasn’t much to talk about between an estranged daughter and her mother.

“So,” her mother broke the silence a bit too loudly. “How has college been for you? You’re graduating next summer, correct?”

Rachel nodded, “Yeah, I’m a senior.” 

“What business school have you chosen to attend?”

Rachel internally cringed. She contemplated just being out with it now, but she chose to wait. 

She paused before she answered, “I’ve chosen to stay in New York,” she started carefully. It wasn’t a lie, but a nice segway to the truth.

Her mother nodded, “I have some connections in some excellent business programs. Which one do you plan on attending?”

Rachel hesitated. She chose silence and stuffed a croissant in her mouth. She could feel the icy glare of her mother across the coffee table, but Rachel continued to avoid her gaze.

That thick silence fell upon the mother and daughter, neither of them breaking it until Rachel’s father entered the patio.

He was a tall man with deep brown skin and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a pinstripe suit, which Rachel thought was a little extra for  _ brunch _ . Rachel smiled awkwardly at him.

“Hey, Dad.”

He nodded at her, studying her appearance before silently sitting next to his wife.

“You’re dressed a little too casually for brunch.” He pointed out gruffly.

Rachel wanted to point out that this was what normal people wore when they went out to eat, but she kept her mouth shut.

“How’s school going?” He asked, cutting into a stack of pancakes. His tone wasn’t friendly or pleasantly inquiring, it was obligatory. Like he couldn’t wait to end the conversation and get back to work.

Rachel shrugged, “It’s okay.” 

She glanced at her parents, sitting together, eating food. Rachel felt her mind tug her to her feet, she imagined herself giving an impassioned speech about her choices.

But she panicked and stuffed another croissant in her mouth.

“So,” she said after swallowing. She ignored her mother’s disgusted glare. “How’s everything been?”

Her mother’s gaze turned even more judgemental. “Rachel, we’re here to speak about your schooling, not engage in small talk.”

A sarcastic smile curled Rachel’s lip. She felt something bitter twist in her stomach, at her mother’s familiar tone and familiar words.

“So you  _ don’t _ want to hear what I’ve been up to?” she blurted out. Anger bubbled inside of her. If she was going to do it, now was the time. While she was too mad to think about the consequences.

Her father looked at her strangely and ignored her.

Rachel stood up in front of them. She crossed her arms, part of her being satisfied that she could look down on  _ them  _ for once.

“You don’t want small talk, right?”

Her father rolled his eyes, “Rachel, sit down. You’re being dramatic.”

Rachel began to pace, her expression masked in fake thought.

“You know, you guys would tell me that a lot. When I cried, when I got bullied at school, whenever I showed any human emotion other than excitement for your plans for me-“ she pointed at them “-plans that I didn’t want, by the way.”

She smiled wrily, a terribly fake smile that might scare someone if they saw it.

“But we’re here to talk about school!” She exclaimed in fake cheer. “So,  _ let’s talk about school. _ ”

Her mother exchanged a look with her father. She folded her hand on her knee, Rachel copying the movement pettily.

“Rachel, please just calm down. We can speak about our hypothetical failings as parents later, just-“

“Talk about  _ school _ .” Rachel retorted. She pushed down the anger again. If she got angry, she would cry, and whatever facade she had on that she was bold and clever, she wanted to keep it up.

“So, let’s talk about the fact that I  _ haven’t  _ been studying business. I'm a cake decorator.” 

The words came out nonchalantly, and Rachel picked at her nail while her parents gaped at her.

The silence in the air was charged, like either member of the family could explode at any moment.

“I’ve been at culinary school, dear Mother and Father,” she spat. “I’ve been following my dreams and I’m so much happier now than I ever was at finishing school, and much happier than I could ever be as a business major.”

She glared at her parents, reveling in their shock and silence.

“And you’re going to have to deal with that. Whatever dreams you had of a Dare Industries Dynasty or something, they end with me.”

Rachel’s father seemed to come out of his stupor. He got up, making slow deliberate steps toward her. Rachel looked him in the eye boldly.

“No.”

Rachel’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you  _ mean _ , no? I just told you that I haven’t been going to business school for four years and what you have to say is n-“

“You  _ are _ going to take over Dare Industries,” Her father threatened. “You are going to change your major and  _ I don’t care  _ how long you spend at college, you will be the next CEO.”

Rachel shook her head, “Dad, I’m not doing that. I work...I work at a bakery now. I’m happier than I ever could have been as a business major. I’m not-“

Her father slammed a fist down on the coffee table. Rachel jumped back, panic screaming at her to get out of there. He stood up and walked out of the patio door, probably going to his study.

Her mother had jumped back, also. She glanced at Rachel before following her husband in the house, leaving Rachel alone.

She steadied her breathing, the slight adrenaline rush of the situation fading away.

_ They knew _ .

And  _ she  _ had  _ told them _ .

Rachel buried her head in her hands, pulling her curls and trying not to cry.

“Alright, Rachel,” she mumbled. “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

“Rachel Elizabeth.”

Rachel looked up, snapping out of her thoughts. Her mother was standing by the door, posture perfect as always. 

“You are no longer welcome here.” She said coldly. Rachel’s shoulders sagged.

“Do not come back.”

Rachel nodded and got up to leave. She felt exhausted, drained. 

When she reached the grand doors of the Dare Manor, her mother called something out to her from behind. Rachel didn’t look at her, she couldn’t.

“You are a Dare in name, but you are  _ not _ my daughter.”

She shut the door behind her.

* * *

She didn’t break down until she was in her parking lot, which was nice.

Rachel cried for a good ten minutes. Years of pent up and suppressed emotions came to the surface.

She didn’t know what she’d expected. Of course, they would disown her. Did she expect them to be okay with it?

She should have thought this through more. A pathetic part of her wanted to go back and ask for their forgiveness. Part of her was still that girl who wanted her parents’ love and affection.

She knew she would never get it, no matter what she did, but that shameful part of her still wished.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand. She couldn’t be alone right now.

Rachel opened her phone, tapping on Will’s contact.

It rang twice before getting picked up.

“Hey, Rache, you okay?”

Rachel shook her head, then remembered he couldn’t  _ see _ her shaking her head and responded verbally.

“Well, I just got disowned so you can probably guess…”

Will’s soft gasp could be heard on Rachel’s end.

“Rache, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright-“ it wasn’t alright, “-but is it alright if I hang out with you? I’m kinda...not in a good place.”

Will’s silence on the other end told her everything she needed to know.

Rachel groaned, slapping her forehead.

“I’m an idiot,” Rachel cringed at her own selfishness. “I totally forgot about that medical summer program you’re attending! I’m so sorry!”

Will chuckled, “It’s alright, Rache. I’ll be back around five, so I’ll text you when you can come over. Today, you’re gonna forget your screwy parents and have a great evening.”

Rachel laughed at Will’s cheery tone. Hearing her best friend’s voice cheered her up slightly.

“I hope so.” 

Rachel could imagine Will’s frown at her dejected tone. 

“Rache, is there anyone you can talk to right now?” He asked her. “I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

Rachel searched her mind for people. The first person that she thought of was Percy. Her stomach did a flip thinking about him.

“I'll have to check to see if he’s available, but...” she hesitated “...I’ll see.”

“That’s awesome!” Rachel could imagine Will’s bright smile. “See you later, Rache.”

She said bye and hung up the phone, going to Percy’s contact.

Rachel could say that she was nervous. Percy wasn’t Will. Percy was someone that, no matter how long she had known him for, she’d still be scared of being rejected by.

She opted not to call him, but to text him instead.

_ Can we talk? _

Rachel deleted that. It sounded like she was trying to ask him out.

_ Is it alright if I _

She deleted that before she finished typing it. That made her sound awkward.

_ I’m kind of having a bad day...can we talk? _

It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough. Rachel clicked send and calmed her nerves.

What if he said no? What if he just ignored her?

Rachel felt like a silly schoolgirl with a crush. Maybe this was just emotional fallout from the whole “getting disowned” thing.

After an agonizingly long five minutes, Percy responded.

_ Of course. Are you okay? _

Rachel smiled at the response. 

_ I actually...don’t know yet. Where do you wanna meet? _

He responded within the minute this time.

_ Bakery? _

Rachel smiled again. Of course, he’d choose the bakery. Despite the petty rivalry between the businesses, they both loved the other’s environment.

_ Hmmm is this because you want free pastries? _

Percy sent an upside-down smiling emoji.

_ Mayhaps. _

Rachel snickered. Typical Percy.

_ Well, mayhaps you’ll get some. See you there.  _

She turned off her phone and pulled out of her driveway. She vaguely registered that she hadn’t even entered her apartment. Just texting Percy had lifted her spirits, so Rachel hoped that she wouldn’t screw up the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dang this chapter took a long time to write. Hope you liked it!


	6. of heart stopping smiles and ice cream parlours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy is a good friend and he's pining

Percy was a little surprised when he saw Rachel.

And not that he was surprised she was  _ there _ , more like he was surprised at how she looked.

She entered The Oracle Bakery, glimpsing Percy sitting on the accent wall’s window seat with two orders of eclairs and two cups of coffee.

Apollo, the enthusiastic (and kind of eccentric) bakery owner, had given him a dirty look when he had entered the bakery with the coffee. He had become suddenly aware of the Half-Blood Cafe’s logo embossed on the paper holders, but Percy had smiled awkwardly and stated he was waiting for Rachel. Apollo had given him an uncharacteristic grunt and gone to the kitchens.

Rachel had smiled at him and walked closer and Percy had seen that her eyes were red and her hair was messy. Not messy in its usual cute way, but messy as in ‘she had tugged at it a lot’.

Percy frowned, “Red, what happened?”

Rachel sat down across from him. She thanked him for the coffee and eclair, taking a long sip of the latte before answering him.

“I got disowned,” she replied flippantly.

Percy’s expression was one of pure shock. Rachel nodded dejectedly.

“Yeah…” she whispered. 

Percy schooled his expression quickly. He could register that later, right now he had to make Rachel feel better. It took him a minute to figure out what to say, situations like these were sensitive.

“I am...just now realizing a bakery might not be the best place to discuss something like this.” Percy chuckled nervously, Rachel smiled at that. 

She shrugged, “I mean, it’s not just any bakery. And nobody’s gonna spy on us or anything.”

Percy thought about it, drumming his hands against his coffee cup. Rachel seemed fine, she had brought her legs up on the window seat so she could curl up in the corner. She was staring out the window with a blank expression on her face. Percy’s heart broke.

If he’d had anything growing up, it was the love of his mom. He couldn’t imagine how it felt for the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally to not do that.

He suddenly stood up. Rachel looked at him strangely as he looked frantically around the bakery for something.

“Percy, what are you doing?”

He stopped at a rack on the other side of the bakery. A customer looked at him strangely, but he didn’t care. Finally, he found what he was looking for. A board game, Rachel’s favorite board game.

He walked back to the window seat triumphantly with the box in his arms. Rachel glanced at the box, a smile growing on her lips.

“I thought we were just gonna talk?” she mused, adjusting her position to face Percy and balance her cup on her knees as he sat down across from her.

He shrugged. “I thought you would need an ‘I need to talk this out’ type of meeting but this is clearly an ‘I need to make you happy’ sort of meeting so that’s what I’m gonna do.”

He paused before adding on, “Plus, I know you said that the bakery had just bought this game and you hadn’t had a chance to play yet so…”

Percy wasn’t really sure how happy Rachel would be. It was just a board game, and it was the first thing he had thought of. Still, Rachel smiled at him, a ‘thank you’ shining in her eyes.

“Percy, you  _ being  _ here makes me happy.”

Percy’s heart stopped for a split second. There it was again. That warm, fluttering, hopeful feeling that only appeared for Rachel. He wanted to scream at himself for falling for yet another girl out of his reach, but it was Rachel, so it was inevitable.

He pushed his thoughts away. Today was about Rachel, he could sort out his feelings later.

“Well,” he opened the Pantone box with a confident smirk. “You ready to lose, Red?”

* * *

Rachel cackled, clutching her stomach as Percy sat embarrassed. 

“How do you…” her body shook as she tried to speak through the laughter. “How did you guess Barry Bee for...for  _ Wolverine _ ?!?”

Percy pouted as she laughed at his expense. 

“In my defense,” he started, gesturing to the character card in Rachel’s hand. “I’ve watched The Bee Movie, like, six times, and the last time I read an X-Men comic I was in grade school.”

Rachel gaped at him. Percy shrugged.

“How?” she demanded, reaching for her bag of kettle corn. “They’re so good!”

Percy shrugged again, “I think I watched the movies then forgot everything that happened in the franchise. And nobody around me has even mentioned comics so, yeah.”

“We should marathon the movies sometime,” Rachel suggested. She tossed a popcorn in her mouth and leaned against the wall, smiling.

_ That smile _ . Rachel was a bright person, you wouldn’t find her without a grin on her lips very often. It was a customary sight. Sometimes, though, in moments like these, it was like he was seeing it for the first time. Rachel’s beam was the very definition of “a smile that could light up a room.”

He leaned back too, crossing his arms. He looked at her, his lips turning up a little bit.

“Yeah, we should.”

Then something changed. Percy couldn’t put his finger on it, but they locked eyes for just a second. It was only a second, but something about that second was a little bit too long and a little bit too...unfamiliar, from their normal quick glances.

This was charged with an emotion Percy couldn’t describe. He felt drawn to the girl right in front of him. 

He couldn’t look away.

He didn’t  _ want _ to look away. Not from her eyes, that looked green but were actually  _ hazel _ , framed by dark eyelashes. Not from her bright, joyful, smile or from her adorable dimples. Not from her pink-tinted lips that actually weren’t smiling anymore, but not frowning either and-

He tore his eyes away. Quickly. 

They didn’t look at each other for a moment. They didn’t dare. Percy played with the Pantone card in his hand, staring intently at it. It was red, a very  _ interesting _ and  _ engaging  _ red that he could force himself to stare at forever if it meant he wouldn’t have to lock eyes with her again.

“So!” 

Rachel broke the silence a little too loudly. Percy looked up to see her small smile was a little forced, it didn’t reach her eyes. Awkwardness took the spot of whatever was in the air that had caused them to…

Lock eyes.

That was all? They had only locked eyes. It had felt like so much more a minute ago, it had felt like he was standing on the brink of realizing something important. 

Now, it just felt like he’d been yanked away from the edge. And he wasn't sure if he felt grateful or robbed.

Percy tried to shut his thoughts up, looking at Rachel with a fake smile to match hers.

“Wanna finish the game?”

* * *

Ice cream.

Percy knew that a surefire way into Rachel’s heart was ice cream.

They had tied in the board game (with Rachel  _ still _ insisting that if he asked for a clue and answered before he got the clue, he still has to take four points, but she was  _ wrong _ ) and gotten bored in the bakery, so Percy had suggested they try an ice cream parlour he’d discovered with Estelle a week ago. 

Rachel had been on board. Percy knew that his friend had a restless soul. She always wanted to go places, experience something new.

They entered the ice cream parlour, Percy holding the door open for Rachel. It was an old place, a small business passed down from generation to generation.

The door was weathered, a painted off-white color. It opened with a cheerful jingle. The parlour itself had a white color scheme with red accents on the seats, counters, and table. It smelled sweet inside, the kind of sweet that lightly coats the air that you can’t quite name.

Percy glanced to his left to see Rachel checking out the ice cream parlour. She was fascinated, her eyes taking in the old school design.

He chuckled, “You like it?”

Rachel laughed loudly, genuinely, throwing out her hands as she did a half pivot.

“Like it? How could I  _ not _ ?”

Percy’s smile grew as he watched her step up and order excitedly. Rachel was the type of person that could find excitement in any new experience. She could romanticize anything, which was partly due to her John Green obsession.

Soon, it was his turn to order, and he just shrugged and said “Same thing as her, please.”

Rachel rushed to open her wallet but Percy beat her to the punch and handed the cashier his card, winking at the angry redhead.

“You know I could have paid, right?” Rachel stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, her eyebrows scrunching together.

Percy responded by sliding an arm around her shoulders with a smirk, “But that’s no fun, Red.”

Rachel scoffed, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she accepted their ice cream from the cashier gratefully, making sure to tip generously. Then she flashed one of those heart-stopping smiles at Percy and walked out of the ice cream parlour.

* * *

“Alright, alright,” Percy laughed with Rachel as they strolled down the park’s sidewalk. It was late afternoon, the lazy, lethargic, feeling settling in the air. Dog owners walking their pets, couples strolling through the picturesque scene, and bike riders made up their sights for the moment. It wasn’t much to look at, but the two were too caught up in a conversation to lament the lack of a scene.

Percy had finished his ice cream, and was trying and failing to take some of Rachel’s as she made fun of his poor attempts.

Rachel stuck her tongue out at her companion, stabbing her spoon in her cup and putting an unnecessarily large chunk of ice cream in her mouth.   


“Mmmmm,” she sighed, shaking her head for good measure. “This is, like, the best ice cream ever.” 

Percy frowned, which only led Rachel’s teasing on. “And it’s even better because  _ you _ don’t get to have any.”

Percy rolled his eyes, his grin giving him away. “You know, Dare, you’re really rude.”

Rachel winked, “As I should be, considering the fact that there’s a giant trying to steal my ice cream.”

“Sharing is caring.”

“But I don’t care.”

Percy’s mouth formed a shocked 'O' shape, and Rachel giggled at his face. She sighed theatrically and turned to face her friend, holding out the spoon.

“Fine,” she sniffed. “You can have _one_ spoon.”

Percy beamed and pumped a fist, surging forward to take the spoon before Rachel jerked back. A mischievous grin played at her lips as she spoke.

“Say ‘ah’, Jackson.”

Percy narrowed his eyes at the gleeful woman. Of course she would do this.

“Why must you antagonize me,” Percy deadpanned, an eyebrow cocked. 

“For my own personal amusement and titillation,” Rachel shot back, smirking once more as she held the spoon out to Percy’s mouth. “Now, say ‘ah’.”

Percy rolled his eyes but sarcastically opened his mouth, “Aaahhh.”

Rachel reached up and popped the spoon in his mouth, Percy made an “mmm” sound just to spite her. He had a plan, though. He wasn’t going to let Rachel tease him without dishing it back to her.

Before she could pull back, Percy grabbed the spoon and the ice cream from her hand. Rachel protested as he fast-walked away from her, making a show of digging the spoon into the partially-melted treat and proclaiming how delicious it was.

“You are dead to me, Perseus Jackson!” Rachel called out from behind them. Percy giggled at the thought of her face.

“This friendship is  _ over _ !” 

He turned his head to see an angry redhead storming his way less than a meter behind him.

“Aw, come on!” He teased, thrilled to get a rise out of her. “Right when it was getting good?”

He eventually settled down on a bench, waiting for Rachel to catch up to him smugly. Rachel plopped down next to him, cursing him out as she snatched the cup back. Percy smirked.

“I hope you know that I only took two-”

“ _ Can it, Jackson _ ,” Rachel growled. Percy laughed again, sliding an arm around her shoulders and fake-pouting.

“Please forgive me, Red,” he whined, resting his chin on top of her curls. Her hair smelled tropical, she always had nice shampoo.

Rachel pretended to think about it, tapping a painted nail against her chin in thought.

“No.”

“Pleeease,” he begged, pulling out the pleading eyes. The struggle was clear on Rachel's face as she stared at him. Percy even clasped his hands under his chin.

She mentally wrestled with herself for one more minute before throwing her free hand in the air with an exasperated sigh, effectively shrugging Percy's arm off her. “Fine! Fine! I forgive you!” 

Percy cheered as Rachel rolled her eyes. She wasn’t fooling him, though. Her smile was way too large for someone who was mad.

Rachel leaned her head on his shoulders as they fell silent, Percy responded by sliding an arm around her. It was around five o’clock now, so that slow-going feeling was overtaking them. The excitement of the day was fading into introspection.

It wasn’t like this was a day to go in the books, but he had spent it with Rachel, so it was memorable enough. 

They watched the people pass them by in comfortable silence, just appreciating the presence of each other. 

Percy felt strangely content on that park bench. Like he could spend a forever in that silence, with this girl. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If yall didn't catch that Selina Kyle reference I made, for shame


End file.
